


"I Love You."

by Dragon_in_Disguise



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kissing, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mentions of Suicide, Mickey Milkovich Loves Ian Gallagher, Mute Mickey Milkovich, Muteness, Mutism, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, not very detailed, selective mutism, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23274874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_in_Disguise/pseuds/Dragon_in_Disguise
Summary: After a traumatizing experience, Mickey has lost his voice. No matter how much he tries, he can't bring himself to speak. With the knowledge that everyone has words written on their body, Mickey believes fate really fucked him over. It gets even worse when he finds his soulmate.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Lip Gallagher/Mandy Milkovich
Comments: 7
Kudos: 341





	"I Love You."

**Author's Note:**

> this is pretty sloppily written, but it's fanfiction so oh well

Mickey Milkovich believed God or whatever force out there is out to get him and make his life as shitty as possible. 

Everyone has a soulmate - identified by the first words written on any part of your body. Mickey’s mother has a soulmate. Iggy has a soulmate and so does Mandy. Mickey’s cousins boast about their words all the time. Hell, Mickey has a soulmate too. Everyone has one. 

But they don’t always meet. 

Mickey’s mother is a prime example of that. She and Terry aren’t soulmates, and it’s clear in the way they behave towards one another. She would tell Mickey stories of her beloved soulmate who had another’s words, who married another woman and had a lovely family of two young boys. Mickey would trace her words on her inner arm, curious of this man who was meant to be his father, but fate played a cruel trick on his mother. And fate did the same to him. 

On Iggy’s thirteenth birthday, Mickey slipped away to go find his mother and have her cut a piece of cake for him since Terry had passed out on the couch and Iggy was busy chattering with his friends. Mandy stayed behind to watch the older kids, which was the best thing she could’ve done. When Mickey walked into their parents' bedroom, his whole life changed in a snap. 

Seeing your mother limp and bloody and clutching an empty bottle of pills can really fuck you up, and it fucked Mickey up. He tried to scream for help, crawled onto that bed and shook his mother, coating his hands in cold, sticky blood. It wasn’t until one of Iggy’s friends walked by did Mickey realize his voice stopped working. 

Because Terry couldn’t give two fucks about any of his kids, Iggy took Mickey to the hospital days after the incident, terrified by his brother’s complete silence. And just like that, Mickey was certain his soulmate mark meant nothing. 

Mickey is mute - more specifically, diagnosed with selective mutism. Even if he wanted to, he can’t speak. 

_Everyone_ has words on their body, and judging by the fact fate can play cruel tricks as they did to his mother, Mickey is sure he’s been fucked from the beginning. 

It gets even worse when he hears the words marked on his arm. 

Mickey huffs as he enters his first class of the year, English - not really his best subject. This is the second time he’s been held back to sophomore year and honestly, he might as well drop out. He sits in the very back, not paying much attention to the other students filing in. Not like they’ll come near him anyway. He’s a Milkovich. 

He’s sorely mistaken when a chirpy redhead plops down in the seat next to him, expression happy and, for some reason, directed at Mickey. He averts his attention from the kid, but is quickly snatched when those words come tumbling from his mouth. “I like your tattoos, man. Kind of badass.” 

Mickey’s heart stops beating at those words, lungs tightening and arm burning under his jacket sleeve where those exact words sit. He might throw up. Is this for real? There’s no way his soulmate is a _man._ Terry is going to have his head on a platter for this. 

The boy doesn’t seem to notice Mickey’s distress, leaning closer with a big grin on his face. “I’m Ian. Ian Gallagher.” 

Mickey takes a deep breath and finally gets a good look at this Ian. He’s not bad looking, for one. Soft red hair and faint red freckles adorning his cheeks. His eyes are a nice green, too. Mickey stops himself from staring, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Ian’s smile falters at his silence, and Mickey hates the panic that shoots through him. 

Without thinking, his hands move and spell _”Mickey.”_

Ian blinks in surprise, sitting up straight in his seat. “Oh!” he exclaims, laughing nervously. He makes a gesture to his ear. “Are you deaf or…?” 

Mickey assumes the kid doesn’t know sign and touches his throat instead. 

"Okay," he nods, chewing on his bottom lip, which Mickey does not think looks sexy, of course. Ian turns and shuffles through his bag, soon pulling out a notepad and pen. He smiles sheepishly, holding it out in an offer. "I don't know sign language, so… would you mind?" 

Mickey considers this. This is literally the first person to willingly and want to speak with him since he started high school. He wonders if he even knows he's a Milkovich. Maybe he's new? Fuck, who knows. Maybe it's fate playing him dirty since this is apparently his soulmate. Might be a good thing he can't speak then, so Terry will never find out. 

In the end, he takes the notepad and jots down his name on the top line. Ian doesn't even bat an eye at his last name, sending him another grin. "Well, Mickey, want to come hang out with me and my friends after school?" 

Mickey frowns and writes down _Why?_

Ian looks amused. "So we can all be friends? Be social and all." 

_I'm not good at that clearly._

Ian pouts, and Mickey can't help but smile at the adorable expression. "Hey, it doesn't matter you can't talk. We're getting along just fine, yeah?" Mickey shrugs. "Please?" 

Mickey sighs heavily because he's only known this kid for five minutes and he's already having a hard time saying no. _Fine._

And just like that, Mickey became best friends with his supposed soulmate. 

Mickey thankfully passed sophomore and junior year thanks to Ian who decided to help tutor him upon finding out he should've been a senior. The guy is smarter than he looks, Mickey will admit. 

Mandy liked Ian too. The two of them clicked immediately and Mickey was sure they would go out until Ian admitted to them he's gay and Mandy never said his words anyway. Even though they asked, Ian wouldn't tell them the words. To be fair, Mickey won't tell Ian either considering he already said the damn words. Ian only questioned once why he had bandages around his arm where the words sit but never pushed. 

The words weren't brought up again until Mandy burst into Mickey's room while the two were studying to tell them Lip, Ian's older brother, said her words. The little shit was in so much shock she didn't say anything back. It took Mickey throwing her into Lip for her to speak - "Ow fuck! You little bitch, I'm gonna kill you!" - and Lip thought the whole thing was funny. Mandy's flustered expression when Lip exposed the words on his shoulder made the whole thing better. 

Mickey wonders about his words a lot. Growing up, he was excited because they meant he got tattoos, which he totally agreed were badass. When Iggy took him out freshman year to get tattoos, Mickey was giddy. This was the start off meeting his soulmate. Even if fate was gonna fuck him over, he still wanted to know them. 

Even if Ian was destined for someone else, Mickey can enjoy what he has now. 

“-and you round that number up and plug it in for X,” Ian says, writing down the equation as he speaks. Mickey stares blankly at the page, too confused and too bored to try and understand what the hell he’s telling him. It was well past eleven already and Mickey just wants to sleep. Ian nudges him when he starts to space out. “Hey, did you hear me?” Mickey yawns in response. Ian rolls his eyes and closes their textbook. “Alright, we’ll stop there.” 

Mickey smirks in victory, grabbing his papers and stuffing them back into his bag. Ian rolls his shoulders back and flops down on his back, looking up at Mickey with a lopsided grin. “Staying over?” Mickey shrugs, too busy tracing his thumb over his tattoos so he doesn’t get caught staring at the cute face. “So yes. Okay, come on.” He reaches past Mickey and flips the lamp off, kicking back the blanket so they can lay down. 

“What’re you thinking about?” Ian asks after a few minutes of silence goes by, catching Mickey by surprise. He looks over at him and shrugs, raising an eyebrow in question. Ian’s lips quirk in amusement, reaching over and poking his temple. “You’ve been staring off all night, you know?” 

Maybe because Mickey really, really wants to indulge in his need to be loved for once in his life. He waves his hands around instead. _”Just thinking.”_

Ian is still learning the ropes of ASL, but he’s doing much better than he was two years ago. “About what?” 

Mickey huffs and lifts his bandaged arm, tapping the tightly wrapped bandages where his mark sits. Ian hums, rolling onto his stomach and propping himself up on his elbows. “Wondering about who they are?” Mickey shakes his head, ‘cause he knows exactly who he is. Ian grins, leaning his head against his hand. “I think about it a lot. Especially with the words I was given. Like… shit, I don’t know.” 

_”Can I see?”_

“No,” Ian laughs, shoving Mickey lightly when he laughs silently. “You can see after someone says the words to me.” Mickey pouts. Ian shakes his head and sighs, reaching over to trace the bandages around Mickey’s arm. “Honest answer?” he asks, looking at Mickey. He turns his arm palm up, raising an eyebrow at Ian with a curt nod. “Would you date someone even if they didn’t say the words?” 

The idea of dating someone that isn’t Ian makes Mickey sick to the stomach. Dating someone and sleeping with someone for one night are two different things in Mickey’s book. It’s easy to hook up with someone and never speak to them again, even if the act itself makes Mickey sick and ache in the heart afterward. But dating? Mickey’s never dated. 

But fuck, his mother married Terry and did just fine until Mickey was nine. She probably would’ve done better if Terry wasn’t such an abusive prick. He chews on his bottom lip as he thinks, feeling Ian’s patient gaze on him. He smiles weakly and nods. 

Ian’s fingers still over his arm, looking at Mickey in surprise. “Really? Why?” 

Mickey shifts and moves his hands slowly, watching them instead of Ian’s face. _”I’m not meant to have my soulmate. Why suffer alone forever?”_

He has to sign again when he catches Ian’s confused expression, spelling out each word for him while Ian says them out loud. Ian frowns then. “What makes you think that?” Mickey makes a face, gesturing to himself with an “Are you kidding?” look on his face. Ian rolls his eyes, flicking his shoulder. “Mick, you’re a great guy. Fate isn’t that cruel.” Mickey rolls his eyes this time, highly disagreeing with that. Ian huffs and grabs his arm gently, eyeing the bandages. “You have words, yeah? You’re destined for someone, Mick.” 

Mickey hates the way his heart jumps at Ian’s touch on his arm, his skin burning where the words sit, desperate to stand out and pull his soulmate closer. He must’ve had a look on his face because Ian’s grin drops, looking at Mickey in concern. He thumbs at the wrapping gently, taking a deep breath and speaking quietly. “Can I look?” 

It’s quiet around them as Mickey gives in, ignoring the flutter in his gut as Ian unwraps his arm. This could end horribly - probably will if Ian recognizes those words. What are the chances he will? It was two years ago. 

Yet, when Ian stares at the words, eyes widening and paling at the sight, Mickey’s stomach drops. Shit, shit, _shit._ His arm feels so much better but the rest of him doesn’t. Was this a bad reaction from Ian? Was Ian going to hate him now for never telling him? Mickey’s flight reflex is kicking in, his body twitching at the need to bolt and never come back. 

But Ian laughs, still staring at the words. “Holy shit. I don’t want to jump ahead but- didn’t I say this to you?” Mickey nods slowly, unsure of how to react to this. Ian’s smile widens, finally looking at Mickey with the most excited expression he’s ever seen on his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

That question had such a complicated answer that Mickey just couldn’t explain without talking. He takes the easy answer, pulling his hand away from Ian to touch his throat. Ian’s smile softens. “Mick, I…” he trails off, reaching up and cupping his cheek. Mickey freezes under his touch, heart pounding as Ian leans closer to him, their forehead touching. “It’s not just that, is it?” 

Hasn’t said a damn word yet Ian can still see through him. Mickey huffs softly through his nose and reaches down, tapping Ian’s hip gently where he knows his words are hidden. Ian looks confused for a moment before it clicks, sitting up and looking down where Mickey’s hand still rests on his hip. He laughs softly, setting a hand over Mickey’s and squeezing. “It’s not permanent, Mick. Honestly, it makes a lot more sense now.” 

Mickey sits up, now confused. He knows his condition isn’t really permanent, but he has no clue when he can get himself to talk again. Could be tomorrow, next week, month, year- fuck, maybe ten years. It’s already been almost ten years since he lost his voice - would it be surprising if it lasted another? 

Ian shakes his head and pulls Mickey’s hand off his hip, sending him a sweet smile. “Do you trust me?” Mickey raises an eyebrow, nodding when Ian repeats the question. “I want to give this a chance. If I’m yours, then you’re mine. Besides, I… I really like you.” 

Is this what it feels like to die and go to Heaven? _”Really?”_

“Yes,” Ian chuckles, reaching up to trace his fingertips along his jaw. “Do you?” 

Mickey wishes he can speak so badly right now, but he settles with grabbing his face and pressing his lips against his. 

“To Mickey Milkovich,” Mandy raises her glass with an evil grin, nodding her head at her brother, “for not being a fuckup like the rest of us.” 

Everyone cheers to that while Mickey rolls his eyes, reaching over and punching her in the shoulder. Iggy laughs, clapping him on the back. “Oh, come on! Don’t be so bitter.” 

“It’s how he shows his affection,” Ian grins, leaning over and kissing Mickey on the cheek, earning himself a punch to the shoulder. “Ow! See?” 

Everyone laughs, starting up their own chatter again. Kev hosted a cook-out for the three families in celebration of Mickey finishing his first year of college, being the first Milkovich to do that in a long time. Iggy and Mandy have no desire to follow that path, but Mandy admits she might in the future. 

Ian throws an arm over Mickey’s shoulders, tugging him close with a smile. “Hey, mind doing me a favor?” Mickey gives him a blank stare. “Cool. Can you grab me another beer? Pretty please?” Mickey rolls his eyes but leans up and pecks his lips, slipping out of his hold to grab their beers. Ian watches him go, biting his lip nervously and straightening out his shirt, looking around at everyone. Lip and Mandy are chit-chatting with Debbie about kids, probably. Maybe marriage as well. The two plan on getting married after Lip finishes college, Ian believes. Fiona looks to be lecturing Iggy and Carl for some illegal shit the Milkovich convinced his brother to get into. Wouldn’t be the first time. V is watching over her twins and Liam in the pool, in the middle of a splash contest with the Gallagher. 

This might be a bad idea, but Ian is going to go through with it anyway. 

When he sees Mickey coming back over, beers in hand, Ian knocks his fist a few times against the food table, getting everyone’s attention slowly. “Alright, listen up. My turn to talk.” Mandy rolls her eyes, the others chuckling at Ian’s words. Mickey raises an eyebrow as he comes up to Ian’s side, handing him his beer silently. Ian smiles in thanks, wrapping an arm around his waist. “I just wanted to say that I am very, very proud of you, Mickey. I love you so much, and you’ve made me the happiest man ever.” Mickey’s cheeks turn a light pink, shooting Ian a soft smile. Ian smiles back, hearing the others chuckle and shoot around “awws.” 

Ian sets his drink down, feeling his heart close to bursting out of his chest. Mickey raises an eyebrow when Ian takes his drink from him, grabbing both of his hands in his. “We’ve come a long way together, and I want to keep moving forward with you by my side.” Mickey tilts his head, his smile turning confused. Ian hears Mandy gasp, and “Oh my God” coming from most of the women around them. He takes a deep breath and sinks down onto one knee, watching the realization dawn on Mickey’s face, mouth falling open as Ian reaches back and pulls out a ring from his pocket. “Mickey Milkovich, will you make me the happiest soulmate in the world and marry me?” 

Mickey’s reaction is immediate. He smiles, looking close to bursting into tears, and nods. Ian grins, standing back up and taking his hand, sliding the simple silver band onto his ring finger. Everyone around them claps and cheers, Mandy and Iggy being the loudest out of the group. Mickey reaches up and cups his face, pulling him down for a kiss. Ian runs a hand through his hair, the other falling down onto his waist. 

Mickey pulls back, pressing their foreheads together and gasping out “I love you.” 

Ian’s heart stops at those words, the words marked on his hip where they begin to burn at being spoken. Mickey’s voice is so quiet, so rough from not being used for so long. Mickey himself looks shocked at speaking, laughing with Ian as they kiss again. Ian pulls him closer, whispering against his lips. “Say it again. Please, baby.” 

Mickey wraps his arms around his neck, speaking so softly in between kisses. “I love you. I love you, Ian Gallagher.” 

Ian truly is the happiest soulmate in the world.


End file.
